Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Opening arguments in a major trial against Meta Platforms are due to begin on Tuesday in a federal court in California, with attorneys general from four US states seeking large financial damages and changes to how the company runs Facebook and Instagram. The case is one of several legal challenges facing the social media company over claims linked to child safety and privacy.
advertisement
The lawsuit says Meta contributed to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that make children addicted to its platforms. It also alleges that the company routinely collected data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.
Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are part of the trial beginning now. A total of 29 states sued the tech giant in 2023, while the other 25 states will go to trial later. Meta is also facing lawsuits in state courts.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement, “This week, we’re in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable.”
Meta said it believes it has a strong case. In a statement, the company said, “We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we’ve put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed, and continuing to the present day. We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court.”
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland will oversee the proceedings, which are expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, along with other executives and former employees, is expected to testify.
Gonzalez Rogers, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama in 2011, has handled several high-profile and complex cases involving major technology companies. These include Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and its founders, and Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple over its app store.
The trial is the latest in a wave of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies, including Google’s YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over claims that their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to make them addictive.
In summary, the trial beginning in California will test allegations by a group of US states that Meta’s platforms harmed young users and collected children’s data unlawfully, while the company says it has a strong record on teen safety and will present its case in court.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
